The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has broken the tradition of reshaping regulatory bodies by seeking pacts with the main opposition party. The Council of Ministers plans to approve this Tuesday, on the proposal of the economic vice president, Nadia Calviño, a new National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) in which, for the first time, the Popular Party is left out.

The president will be Cuni Fernández, an expert jurist who is currently an adviser to the Presidency of the Government in Moncloa and along with her, there will be four other members named on the proposal of the PSOE.

Esquerra and Podemos get a representative each through Josep Salas and Carlos Aguilar, respectively . And Xavier Ormaetxea continues, at the proposal of the PNV and Pilar Canedo, promoted at the time by Citizens. The current counselor María Ortiz, who has held positions in socialist and PP governments, also continues, although it is difficult to label. It was named on the proposal of the then Minister of Economy, Luis de Guindos, and is the wife of the current president of the Official Credit Institute, José Carlos García de Quevedo. The fact that Calviño did not even offer a pact to the PP infuriated this party yesterday, which recalls that the Government of Mariano Rajoy offered two positions to the PSOE in 2017 and that is why Mariano Bacigalupo, husband of the current Vice President Teresa Ribera, entered.. This one continues in the council next to a former high socialist position, Bernardo Lorenzo, also accepted in his day by the Government of Rajoy.

Bacigalupo was in the pools to chair the CNMC, but the Popular Party warned that it would be unacceptable due to its relationship with the Energy minister, Teresa Ribera, since the Competition body is also an important regulator in this area.

The rest of the new members that will form the dome will be the former secretary general of Economic Policy with Pedro Solbes, Ángel Torres, who will be vice president and will direct the regulation room; Pilar Sánchez Núñez expert in Competition, and member of the current cabinet of Calviño and Carlos Aguilar., Linked to Podemos in Catalonia.

Cani Fernández will direct the CNMC to replace José María Marín, who has more than completed his six-year term. Fernández has been part of the team of advisers to the Presidency of the Government in Moncloa since February. The Competition Law establishes that the president of the CNMC must carry out his work "with full independence from the Government". This institution has a high regulatory power over companies, including the audiovisual sector, and can impose strong sanctions and undo mergers, among other tasks.

Fernández, 57, has qualification for the position as professor for two decades at the Carlos III University of Competition Law specialized in measures to alleviate the dominant positions of companies. She is a partner on leave of absence from the Cuatrecasas law firm, where as director of the Competition department she has represented important companies in merger operations before the CNMC and received important awards. She has worked in this firm for 23 years and will have to inhibit herself in proceedings still under way at the CNMC where she worked in her lawyer stage defending parties such as Mediaset.

For the PP's economic parliamentary spokesman, Mario Garcés, "this is the last episode of the looting of institutions by the Sánchez government."

In his opinion, "in full alarm and in collusion with its partners, it intends to renew the CNMC adulterating the independence of the regulatory body." About Cani Fernández, Garcés assures that «Sánchez appoints an adviser to his cabinet, in flagrant conflict of interest and arbitrary action; it is one more step in taking political control of the independent organizations ». Ciudadanos spokesperson María Muñoz also shows reservations with Fernández.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • PP
  • We can
  • PSOE
  • Citizens
  • ERC
  • Mariano Rajoy
  • PNV
  • Luis de Guindos
  • Catalonia
  • Nadia Calviño
  • Pedro Sánchez
  • Teresa Ribera
  • Politics
  • economy

PoliticsPatxi López is emerging as president of the Reconstruction Commission

Coronavirus Pablo Iglesias attributes to Podemos the social measures promoted by the Government in this crisis

Covid-19Podemos, ERC and PNV urge Pedro Sánchez to stay away from Ciudadanos